Fishhook removing tool



Nov. 14, 1961 w. F. LANDRUM FISHHOOK REMOVING TOOL Filed Oct. 2, 1958 m I. A A. /V N 7 I'll III wN NM Q Q Q .fi

United States Patent 3,008,260 FISHHOOK REMOVING TOOL William F. Landrum, 2659 Grandview Blvd., Kansas City, Kans.

, Filed Oct. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 764,826 2 Claims. (Cl. 43-535) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in fishing accessories, and has particular reference to a tool for removing fishhooks from the mouths of fish.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a tool of the character described which is especially adapted for removing a fishhoo-k which a fish has swallowed to an extent such as to make access thereto ditlicult. In many instances the hook may become set so far down inside the fishs mouth that it is difficult even to see, and more diificult to reach and manipulate with ordinary removing tools. To this end, ancillary objects of the invention are the provision of a fishhook removing tool including a hook gripping device mounted at one end of a'slender shank so that the device may be inserted conveniently and deeply into the fishs mouth, the provision of means whereby the gripping device may be operated remotely from the gripping jaws, the provision of a gripping device which is specially formed to find and engage a hook even though the hook is not visible, and the provision of means indicating positively to the operator that the gripping device has engaged the hook.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, efiiciency and dependability of operation, andadaptability for gripping and manipulating objects other than fishhooks. 7

With these objects in view, as well as other objects which appear in the course of the specification, reference will be had to the drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a fishhook removing tool embodying the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary edge view of the tool as shown in FIG. 1, showing the shank and head portions thereof in operative relationship to a fishhook,

FIG. 3 is a slightly irregular sectional view taken on line III-lII of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line IV-IV of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line V-V of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line VIV-I of FIG. 4, and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line VII-VII of FIG. 1.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the several views, and the numeral 2 applies to a handle in which is fixed one end of a slender, elongated shank '4 having an enlarged head 6 at its outer end. Shank 4 is formed by a pair of planar, parallel, spaced apart side plates 8 both fixed in handle 2, and head 6 is formed by identically shaped wider end portions '10 of said side plates. The head portions 10 each have a notch 12 formed inwardly from the outer end thereof, the side walls of said notches being parallel, and spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the wire of the largest fishhook on which the tool is to be used. The ends of members 10, at each side of notches 12, are bevelled as indicated at 14 to provide a widely flared tapering entry to notches 12. Head 6 constitutes the fixed jaw of a clamping device.

A movable jaw member -16 is disposed slidably between side plate portions 10, being pivoted thereto by means of a rivet '18 extending between and connecting portions 10, said rivet being disposed adjacent the end of head 6 opposite from notches 1'2, but in alignment with said notches. law 16 is provided with a notch 20 stantiall-y the same width as notches 12, and extending inwardly from the free end of said jaw to substantially the same distance as notches 12. Adjacent the base of notch 20, a side wall thereof is bevelled to provide a side notch 22, so that the base portion of the notch is taperingly enlarged. At the open end of notch 20, the same wall thereof in which side notch 22 is formed is bevelled as at 24 to provide a flared entry to notch 20.

Integral with jaw member 16 is a handle lever 26 which extends rearwardly between side plates 8 of shank 4 to a point adjacent handle 2. A circular thumb-piece 28 is welded or otherwise fixed to the rearward end of said lever and normally lies against one side of shank 4 as in FIGS. 1 and 7.

In use, the tool is first positioned as in FIG. 1, lever handle 26 lying entirely between side plates 8 of shank 4, and thumb-piece 28 lying against said shank. It will be seen that in. this position notch 20 of movable jaw to manipulate thetool, inserts head 6 into the fishs; mouth, andprobes about until said head encounters the" fishhook 30, and the notches 12 of the tool head 6 engage the bight portion 32 of said hook. The widely flaredentry to notches 12 provided by bevelled edges 14 of the head greatly facilitates guiding the tool notches 12 over the hook even when the hook is difficult or impossible to see clearly.

As the hook enters notchesj 12, it engages -,the bevel,

24 of the jaw 16, and cams said jaw pivotally about rivet 18 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1. This moves jaw 16 so that notch 20 thereof registers with notches 12 of the head, so that the tool can be inserted still farther till the bight 32 of the hook disposed in the base portions of notches 12, and at the same time flips lever handle 26 outwardly firom shank 4, as indicated in FIG. 3. This serves as a visual indication to the operator that the hook has been engaged and is ready for removal. Then, using the thumb of the hand with which he grasps handle '2, the operator presses thumb-piece 28 toward shank 4. This pivots jaw 16 to cause bight portion 32 of the fishhook to be gripped tightly between side notch 22 of movable jaw 16, and the opposite side walls of notches 12, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. The inclusion of the hook portion 32 in notch 22 of jaw 16 prevents the hook from slipping out of notches .12, and the inclination of the wall of notch 22 cams the hook tightly against the end walls of notches =12. The operator then removes the hook from the fishs month by manipulating handle 2 while maintaining pressure on thumb-piece 28, turning or twisting the handle to free the hook from the flesh of the fish, and guiding the book while withdrawing it to prevent resetting of said hook.

The longitudinal side edges of jaw '16, as indicated at 34 and 36 in FIG. 4, are inclined in forwardly converging relation as shown, so that said jaw may be moved pivot-ally through its entire operative stroke without projecting laterally beyond the side of head 6. Such projection would of course enlarge the overall head dimensions, and decrease the freedom of movement of said head in the fishs mouth. Moreover, it will be seen that when jaw 16 ispositioned as in FIG. 1, ready for insertion, the outer end ofsaid jaw is bevelled as at 38 and 40 (see FIG. 4) to lie flush with the bevels 14 of head 6, so as not in any way to obstruct the tapered entry to notches 1 2 which is provided by beve1s 14. Excess pivotal movement of jaw 16 is prevented by a Patented Nov. 14, 1961 rivet 42 extending between and fixed in head members lib-in parallel-relation to but spaced apart fromrivet 18,.

rivet 42 extending through arcuate slot 44 formed through jaw '16, said slot being concentric with rivet 42, and of the desired angular extent:

While I'have shownand described at-specific enibbdi merit of my invention, it will be many apparentithat l many modifications of structure and operation-could" be! made without departing from the spirit of'the invention, as-definedby the scope of the appended claims;

What- I claim-as new and desire to protect by I etters.

Patent isf 1 A fishhooleremoving tool comprisinga handle, a.

slender shank fixed in and extendingoutwardly from said handle, ahead carried at the outer end-of-said shank and constituting; :a-fixed jaw of a/clantpingdevice, said;

head comprising 'a generally planar? membershaving v a notchformed therein inwardly fronts-an edge. thereof, a

movable jaw pivotally connected to said head-and constitn-ting a generally planar member extending parallel to said head in planar sliding contact therewith; said;

movable jaw having a notch formed'thereinscorresponding to the notch of saidhead and operable. by pivotal movementof said movable jaw to be moved between an open position in which the head-and jaw notches are" in registry and a closed position in which said z-notches; are out o fregistry, and an operating memberi connected to said movable jaw and, operable to pivotsaid -movable.-.

jaw-relative to said head, saidoperating memberzextenda ing alongsaid shank sons to be manually operable-from a remote fron 1 said head; said movable jaw being bevelled at one side of the open end ofi-the notch thereof;

said beveled portion providing; a cam surface which; ex-i tends angularly across the open end portion of said-head notch when said *rnovable'jaw is in its-closed position and which is operable by a fishhook entering said-head notch to'cam said movablejaw to d-ts open position,

whereby said operating member is moved to indicate visually .thatsaid fishhook has enteredtsaidheadnotch,

2. A fishhook removing tool comprising a handle, a slender shank afiixed at one end in said handle and extending outwardly therelirom, a head carried at lthe outer end of said shank, said shank being formed by a pair of planar, parallel, spaced apart-side plates: and said head being formed by transversely-enlarged; identically formed portions of said-side plates, theowt'er ends of each of said identically formed portions having a .V-notch formed therein and each identically formed pomtion having a parallel-walled straight notch extending inwardly from (the base of said V-notch, a planarmovable jaw disposed.

slid-ably between said identically, formed-f portions and pivoted: thereto about an axis spaced vapart from, the closed end of said straight notches, said jawhaving; a notch formed therein operable by pivotal movement thereof to. be moved from an open position in regis ry with said straight head notcheszto a closed. position out of' registrywitnsaid headnotches, and: an operating; lever aifixed to said movable jaw and extending -betweeutheside platesof said shankitot-a point adjacent saidhandle,

said movable jaw being bevelled at one side of--.the'- open end of, then-notch thereof to providea cam surface e2;-

nending tangularly across said stnaight'head; notches whensaidsmovable jawitsclosed positionawhereby a fishhook: entering .said headnotches; cam} said tmov able jaw to. its open position.

References Cited inthefileof this patent- 

